geldhof



` Feb. 14, 1956 P. E. GELDHOF AGITATOR Filed Nov. 8, 1950 'IIIIIIIIIIIIIHIIlHlH Il @f/1*. Hff 5 United States Patent O menne yassignmentts, Vto Whirlpool-Seeger Corporation, St. .loep'ln -Mich., `si corporation of ,Delaware .Application Naemberlti, v19509Sei-ial No. 194,714 2 Claims. (Cl.,6.8-i33`) `This invention relates renew `and nseful improvements in appattis foiiwhing clot-hes and the like, and more -ptticlilily relates to a -l'thes washing machine and agitator diranged-=with a vviii-.w toward increasing 'the ehi- 'cieicy fof the 'clothes washing operation.

AApi'iiizifialobject ofinvntion isto-provide a novel andiniproved 'fo'rr'n of AagitatorYparti'cnlariy arranged to more eiciently carry out the clothes washing operation than formerly.

Another object'of my invention is to provide anew and improved form of agitator 'for :clothes washing machines having the combined advantages of both the spiral and 'vane typesif agitators heretofore used.

A still further object `ofimy invention is to provide a new and improved -for-m of .agitatoi for clothes washing vrrltttchines ihailing -aespiral vane rat-'the upper part of -the agitator, Aterflhinating into -aY radial fsralefadjacent'the' lower end thereof. y

"A still further vand -more--detai1ed object ofrn'y invenis 'to provide a novel form vof 'agitator YVfor clothes washing in'ahines wherein aplurality :of agitting vanes extend in `spiral paths downwardly A lc'ing the -face 'of `an upstandingcone-of aconcave formation and entend radija'lly in planes normals-tothe face of 'the cone, iadia'eent `thelloiiv'c'r-trld thereof.

These and other objects of my invention will appear from time to time as the following specification proceeds and with reference to the accompanying drawing wherein:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary view in side elevation of a washing machine and tub, with certain parts thereof broken away and in section, and showing an agitator constructed in accordance with my invention mounted in the tub;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the agitator shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken substantially along line IlI-III of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line IV-IV of Figure 1; and

Figure 5 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along line V-V of Figure 1.

In the embodiment of my invention illustrated in the drawing, an agitator is shown as being mounted in a clothes container or tub 11, of a clothes washing machine designated generally by reference character 12. The tub 11 may be of any well known form having an open central portion with a hollow center post 13 extending upwardly therefrom upon which the agitator 10 may be oscillatively mounted as is well known to those skilled in the art, so not herein shown or described in detail. A vertical shaft 14 extending upwardly through the center post 13 may serve as a drive means for the agitator and may be oscillatively driven from the motor (not shown) of the washing machine 12 through oscillatable drive gearing generally indicated by reference character 15, of a well known construction, so not herein shown or described in detail.

The agitator 10 may be hollow and the hollow central lCC 2 upper'end yportion thereof is herein shown as beingfhexagonal Linhorizontal section, lto anord a ineens' for drivlingsaid agitator 'from a corresponding upper end portion ofthe snaren. A hand screw or nut 17, maybe threaded von the shaft 14 into engagement withlthettop 'face of the agitator `1u to retain said agitator to said shaft.

The agitator 10,l as herein shown, has .a generally conical outer wall 18 concave in'transye'rse yeross-secti'on and eonvergingrroni arclatiyelywide base toa generally cylindrical `wallet its upper' end. .Anplura'lityof agiiaiing vanes 19%19, herein shown as Zbeing three in number, are ,spaced equally around the conical 'wall '18,and diverge laterally from said 'walltfro'm the tv p thereof, and spiral down said wall tota position adjacent thevba'se thereof, from whence they change their spiral configuration and extend in a radialdirection tothe lower edge Aoffsa't'l wall in `the forth of radial upright yenes extending `.in planes normal 'to the surfaces of 'tnecone A plurality :of rnbhing 4'proie'ctions or vanesl, 20 'eXten'd radiallyoi "the `lowerportion o'fvtliewall, intermediate the vanes 19, 19 to siibjeet the clothes drawn thereacr'oss by the `vanes 19, 19rd a slight rubbing action andro aid in t'lieloosjrning of the dirt inth'e clothes; I

As shown in Figures l and 2 ofthe 'drawin'gvth'e vanes 119 arespaced substantially :120 apart, `ai :their v'starting point, adjacent theitop of Athe conicalwall `18 and diverge therefrom as 'they traverse :downwardly v'therealong gradv-irally increasing in height, and `terrine-ate .substantially ifr'oin their 'startingpoint The vanes '19 adjacent their upper ends are shown as starting froinjthe generally cylindrcalupperiwall 'portion of vthe cone Vin Y.a direction substantially/normality the surface Vor said jwail, and Vdiverge angularly with 'respectthereto ai a slightly negative faire as theyzi'nitially extend downwardly fherealong, `when 'the agitator is turning in a clockwise direction, `the angie of divergence-thang indicated byireference 'charactor Ain Figure 3. The rake of each vane approach anangle :normal tothe' surface of the 4conc atapoint intermediate the ends thereof, and said vanes may their pitch in an opposite direction to a slightly positive rake upon a clockwise rotation of the agitator the angle of divergence being indicated by reference character B in Figure 4. The positive rake for clockwise rotation of the agitator may gradually increase to a predetermined point and the angle of rake of the vanes may then gradually change to extend at an angle normal to the surface of the conical wall 18 downwardly to the edge of the base of the cone in radial directions in the form of radial vanes as shown in Figure 5.

The vanes 19 thus have a uniform spiral configuration with respect to the surface of the conical wall 18, and have rakes in one direction at the upper part of the cone and rakes in an opposite direction at an intermediate portion of the cone which blend into radial vanes at the lower part of the cone extending at substantially 180 to the upper starting edges of the vanes.

Upon rotation of the agitator in a clockwise direction, the clothes are circulated outwardly by the flow of washing iluid created by the radial lower portions of the agitator vanes, and the clothes and washing fluid in the tub tend to pass by the upper spiral edges of the vanes 19 which draw the washing fluid downwardly along the agitator, moving the clothes in a circular path from and toward the agitator as they advance around the tub. Upon reversal of oscillating movement of the agitator, the radial edges of the vanes will create a reverse propelling eiect and the positive rakes of the upper edges of the vanes will create a similar downward flow of water along the agitator, propelling the clothes downwardly therealong advancing the clothes around the tub in an opposite direction. Upon again reversing the direction of movement of the agitator, a new batch of clothes is propelled outwardly around the tub by each agitator vane, and progressed to the top and downwardly along the agitator in a clockwise direction. Since, however, the rakes of the upper parts of the vanes are in negative directions and the rakes of the lower parts of the vanes are in predominantly positive directions, when the agitator is oscillating in a clockwise direction, and converge into planes normal to the wall 18 at the lower wall portion of the cone, the tendency to propel the clothes around the tub will be greater when the agitator is moving in a clockwise direction than in a counterclockwise direction.

More of the clothes, therefore, will slip by the agitator when moving in a counterclockwise than a clockwise direction. The result will be that the clothes will positively circulate around the tub in a clockwise direction as they rotate from the bottom of the tub to the outside of the tub and then rise to the top of the tub and are then drawn downwardly by the circulation created by the spiral vanes of the agitator. This will rotatably move the clothes within the tub in vertical planes as they travel around the tub in a clockwise direction, progressing the clothes around the tub in a spiral path about a horizontal axis extending in an annular path within the limits of the tub.

It will be understood that modifications and variations may be eiected without departing from the scope of the novel concept of the present invention.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a clothes washing machine, a tub for clothes and washing fluid, a clothes washing agitator mounted in said tub for oscillatable movement about a vertical axis, means oscillatably driving said agitator, said agitator having an upstanding generally conical outer wall concave in cross section and converging in a uniform curve from a relatively wide circular base to a relatively small diameter cylindrical column adjacent the upper end of said agitator, and having a plurality of equally spaced agitator vanes diverging from said column at their upper ends and extending downwardly therealong in spiral path from the upper end of said column along said conical outer wall,

for a greater portion of the length thereof, and increasing in height from the upper to the lower end of said column and extending normally to the surface of said cone in straight line paths for the balance of the length thereof, toward the base of said cone, and a radial rubbing vane projecting from the lower surface of said cone intermediate the normal projecting portions of each of said vanes.

2. ln an oscillatable agitator for washing clothes in a tub, a hollow cone adapted to be supported and oscillatably driven from the interior thereof and having a relatively large diameter circular base having a concave conical outer wall extending upwardly from said base in a uniform curve and converging therefrom to a small diameter cylindrical column at the upper end thereof, and a plurality of equally spaced agitator vanes extending downwardly along said wall from the upper end thereof and diverging from said wall as they extend downwardly therealong, said vanes extending in spiral paths for greater portions of their length and terminating in radial vanes at the base of said cone within the peripheral limits of said base and increasing in height from the upper to thc lower ends thereof, said radial vanes extending along said cone in diametrically opposed relation with respect to the upper ends thereof, and a radial rubbing projection extending from the surface of said cone along the base portion thereof intermediate each pair of said radial vanes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,543,323 Dehle June 23, 1925 1,834,492 Kirby Dec. 1, 1931 1,923,580 Nelson Aug. 22, 1933 2,034,527 Nelson Mar. 17, 1936 2,149,987 Altorfer Mar. 7, 1939 2,156,770 Rocke May 2, 1939 2,228,057 Kirby Jan. 7, 1941 2,231,189 Kirby Feb. 11, 1941 2,249,562 Kirby July 15, 1941 2,257,932 Basler Oct. 7, 1941 2,300,055 McCabe Oct. 27, 1942 2,323,571 Schroeder July 6, 1943 2,416,611 Castricone Feb. 25, 1947 

